2000
#11,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,400
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Stiff
An English occupational surname referring to a stubborn or obstinate person, or someone with a rigid posture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,553 Americans carry the last name Stiff. That puts it at #13,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,256 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stiff surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Stiff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 134,256
Census rank
#13,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,226 bearers of the surname Stiff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stiff
The surname "STIFF" is of English origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "stif," meaning "rigid" or "unbending." This name was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a stiff or inflexible demeanor.
In the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, one of the earliest records of English surnames, there is an entry for a Richard le Stiff, residing in Oxfordshire. This is one of the earliest known instances of the name's use. Similarly, in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, there is a mention of a Johannes Stiff.
During the medieval period, the surname Stiff was primarily concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire, though it eventually spread to other parts of England. Variations in spelling were common, with forms such as Styffe, Stiffe, and Stieff appearing in historical records.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Stiff, a 14th-century English knight and landowner from Gloucestershire. He was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Edward III.
Another individual of note was William Stiff, a 16th-century merchant from York who was involved in the wool trade. He was a wealthy and influential figure in the city and served as a member of the York Merchant Adventurers' Company.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the parish records of St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, London, with the baptism of a child named Margery Stiff in 1632. This suggests the name had spread to the capital city by that time.
During the English Civil War, a Captain John Stiff fought on the Parliamentarian side and was noted for his bravery in several battles. He later settled in Gloucestershire after the war's conclusion.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Thomas Stiff, an English botanist and naturalist from Gloucestershire. He made significant contributions to the study of plants and wrote several treatises on the subject.
As the name spread throughout England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the British colonies in North America and beyond. While not a particularly common surname, it has been borne by numerous individuals throughout history, with its origins firmly rooted in the English language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stiff
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Stiff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Stiff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 1,471
- Black or African American25.5% · 568
- Two or more races4.3% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stiff
Stiff appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,662
+262 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 176 places
2020
#13,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,226
-436 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,398 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,943 | 2,400 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,767 | 2,662 | 0.90 | +262 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 176 places |
| 2020 | #13,165 | 2,226 | 0.74 | -436 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 1,398 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Stiff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,767 | #13,165 | -11.9% |
| Count | 2,662 | 2,226 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.74 | -17.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stiff bearers went from 2,662 to 2,226 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 1,398 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,767 to #13,165.
FAQ
Stiff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stiff?
Name Census estimates that about 2,553 living Americans carry the surname Stiff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,256 residents.
How common is Stiff?
Stiff ranks #13,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,226 people with the surname Stiff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,553), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Stiff.
Has Stiff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stiff went from 2,662 recorded bearers to 2,226. That is a decrease of 436 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,767 to #13,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Stiff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Stiff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (1,471 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stiff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Black (25.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Stiff (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Stiff mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a stubborn or obstinate person, or someone with a rigid posture. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Stiff (0.74 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Stiff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.